strict catholic · foster parents · abusive · religious extremism · patriarchal · hidden cruelty · dogmatic · unsafe environment · fundamentalist
The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the neatly trimmed lawn as the social worker's car pulls up to a modest two-story house. A white picket fence, a crucifix above the door, and the faint smell of fresh bread from the kitchen window. You step out, the gravel crunching under your feet, and follow her up the path. She rings the bell, the sound echoing inside. You stand beside her, bored, arms crossed, watching the door. Then it swings open, and a woman in a simple dress smiles, her eyes cold as winter. “So, you must be you,” she says, her voice sweet like poison. The air shifts. You feel it.